Newspaper Page Text
The Christian Index.
BY JAS. P. HARRISON & CO.
The Christian Index.
Publication Rooms, 27 and 29 8. Broad. St.
The colored Baptist meeting-house
at Cedartown was recently destroyed
by fire.
Dr. W. J. Mitchell has formally ac
cepted the call to the Baptist church
at Griffin.
We are indebted to our excellent
Representative in Congress, Hon. N.
J. Hammond, for interesting public
documents. Thanks.
The pastor of the Baptist church at
Franklin has recently held a series of
the most interesting services at the
church,and at the private residences in
the village.
Personal. —We had the pleasure of
a call from brethren J. G. Ryals and R.
B. Headden. We are always glad to
meet these esteemed friends.
We regret that Dr. Hornady has
been quite indisposed for over a week.
He is suffering from a severe cold.
“I can but wish that every' Baptist
family in the land would take and read
The Christian Index, the most wel
come visitor to my family. My father
took it as long as he lived, and I look
upon a bound volume of The Colum
bian Star, as one of the most sacred
relics left in his library. As old as it
is, I look upon it as a compendium of
valuable religious thought.”— Extract
from a letter from Bro. W. B. Gilbert,
Hom’s Cross Roads, Miller county, Ga.
Charles Simon & Sons. —This old
and reliable Baltimore house again sol
icits the patronage of our readers
through our advertising columns. For
many years this popular house has
commanded the esteem and patronage
of our people, and these they maintain
by integrity in all their business rela
tions, the excellence of their goods,
their great and varied stock, and their
very reasonable prices. We commend
this house cordially to our people.
Through the courtesy of Mr. Horace
Bradley, the well-known and talented
young Atlanta sketch artist, we are
enabled to present our readers with a
very fine picture of Col. J. H. Estill, of
the Savannah Morning News. As that
paper has a large circulation in South
Georgia and Florida, we feel sure our
readers will be glad to look upon the
manly face of its enterprising proprie
tor, and also read the excellent sketch
of his useful life which accompanies
the picture.
The last issue of the “Morning News
Library,” which is number five of the
series, contains an interesting novel by
a gifted Atlanta writer, Miss Mat Crim,
also known in the literary world as
"Stephen Brent.” The story is enti
tled “The Heathercotes,” and can be
found at the bookstores and news
stands of this city, where it is sold for
the small sum of twenty cents. Col.
Estill has done well in getting out the
M Morning News Library,” and it should
have a iarge sale in Georgia.
Death of an Estimable Lady.—On
Sunday night, February 27th, at seven
o’clock, Mrs. Mary Dunne, wife of Cap
tain Hugh Dunne, died at her resi
dence in this city, and was buried from
the Catholic church of Peter and Paul
yesterday evening. She died in the
full triumph of Christian hope, and the
scene at her bedside was most touch
ing.
Mrs. Dunne was a woman of many
excellencies of character, a true wife,
a Christian mother, a devoted friend.
To the bereaved husband and her
six orphaned children we extend sin
cere condolence. — Atlanta Constitution,
March Ist
Capt. Dunne is the worthy superin
tendent of the Bindery department of
the Franklin Printing House. We ex
tend to the sorely bereaved husbandand
father our heartfelt sympathy in his
irreparable loss, and commend him and
his motherless children to the care of
Him who can alone give consolation
and strength in this time of affliction.
A Valuable Work. —The “Essays
in Theology and Philosophy,” by Dr.
W. B. Carson, are now passing throngh
the press of Jas. P. Harrison & Co. I
have had opportunity and occasion to
read several of them. They have im
pressed me as characterized in no small
degree by clearness of thought, force
of reasoning and precision of style.
The author grapples—by way, not of
dissertation merely, but of discussion,
—with lofty and difficult themes; such
as “certainty and contingency,” “prov
idence,” “prayer,” “human liberty and
efficient Divine government,” etc. And
without committing myself to all his
positions and processes, I feel free to
express the hope that many readers of
the Index will do these high subjects
the justice of acquainting themselves
with this able attempt to solve the
perplexities with which hasty and par
tial thinking often darkens the truth.
D. Shaver.
Atlanta, Ga., Feb 22,1881
“THE HANDWRITING ON THE
WALL"
—Dr. Gwin, the beloved pastor of
the First Baptist church, of Atlanta,
preached a deeply interesting sermon
Sunday before last, on the subject of
“The Handwriting on the Wall.” The
following is a brief synopsis of it. The
sermon was appropriately closed by a
recitation of the beautiful and well
known poem, “What I Live For,” to be
found on our sixth page.
Dr. Gwin stated that his theme is
to be found in Daniel v. 22-31.
Belshazzar gave a feast to a thous- 1
and lords. He was a man selfish, self
willed, sensual, who abandoned him
self to the grossest pleasures, who ex
hibited the haughtiest arrogance, who
allied himself with the most debasing
perscns and things. Although he
knew the history of his grandfather,
Nebuchadnezzar, he learned no lesson
of humility or holiness from it, but be
came more defiant as his disgrace deep
ened, more daring as his contempt in
tensified. He was ravenous of rebel
lion against God. Drunk with wine,
he called for the golden vessels which
had been taken from the Jewish tem
ple, and from them “toasted” the gods
of the heathens.
But lo I in the midst of his revelry,
there “came forth the fingers of a man’s
hand and wrote over against the can
dlestick upon the plaster of the wall of
the king’s palace, and the king saw
the part of the hand that wrote.” This
startles him and his friends. All is
stillness. Alarm perches Its terrific
form on every cheek. He sends for
the astrologers—for the scientists—to
read the writing, but they could not.
At the queen’s suggestion, he calls for
Daniel, who had given counsel and
hope to Nebuchadnezzar in his extrem
ity. Daniel has neither of these for
Belshazzar. Now he is a prophet of
doom—now he simply utters the final
issue—now he simply condemns the
helpless king to unutterable woe.
That night, by masterly strategy in
turning the waters of the Euphrates
into a suburban lake, Cyrus enters the
city through its shallowed bed, and
Belshazzar was slain. This event, the
fulfillment of a prophecy by Jeremiah
has been confirmed by Herodotus and
Xenophon, and the harmony between
sacred and profane history has been
established by the recent discoveries of
Sir Henry Rawlinson. This record
has lessons for us. It is not a mere
drama—a picture of far-off experien
ces, monumental and representative.
Let us gather several.
1. Sin is always hateful to God, no
matter where or by whom it is commit
ted, it is sealed with the brand of his
abhorrence. The rank of the sinner
does not gild his sin. There is no re
spect of person with God, whether he
be Abraham or Ananias, Boaz or Bar
nabas, Cain or Cephas, David or Dio
trephes, Eli Elymas, Felix or Festus,
Gehazi or Gamaliel, Haman or Herod,
Jonah or Judas, and so on through the
alphabet. Angels sinning perish un
der his frown.
2. Though God delay long he sure
ly comes in punishment. The heart
hardened under reproof shall be sud
denly destroyed without remedy. Bel
shazzar was suddenly cut off, so with
Pharoah, and Haman, and Judas.
Men often evade punishment from
human judiciaries and grow to fancy
an escape from God’s justice, but God
means what he says. The earth shall
perish rather than His word fail.
3. We shall be weighed in the same
balances by which this king was test
ed
4. Each man has a kingdom of his
own which he forfeits forever if he is
found wanting. Let me read to you
the parables of the talents and pounds
recorded in Matthew 25 and Luke 19.
This king exhibited in his character
two evils which mark also our times:
1. Intemperance. 2. Irreverence—
the one is an insult to reason, the oth
er an insult to God.
5. It is too late to seek preparation
for a crisis when the crisis is upon us.
Daniel offers no help. He only de
clares the issue. No use now to prom
ise hope, no use now to plead for relief,
no use now to go for oil. The lamp is
out, the hour has come, the door is
shut, death shadows the wine, the wick
edness, the revelry of that scene, the
avenger enters, Belshazzar is dead.
6. God’s judgment. This is certain.
No more surely does night follow day.
It is quick and sudden. The Son of
Man comes like a thief in the night.
It is irretrievable. "In the place where
the tree falleth there it shall be.” It is
terrible. “Good were it for that man
had he never been born.”
7. Contrast Belshazzar and Daniel—
the king and the captive. Who is the
true hero and conqueror? Which
teaches us how to live? Let us live
the life if we would die the death of
the righteous. Better to have the
body than the soul in chains. Trust
in God, and do good. Look to Jesus
Christ, and live.
The Ladies of Sandersville have a
weekly prayer, meeting on Tuesday
afternoons at the Baptist church.
General Literature—Domestic and Foreign Intelligence—Secular Editorials.
ATLANTA, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1881.
The Constitution publishes the recent
decision of the Supreme Court in the
case of ex-State Treasurer Renfroe
and sureties, vs. Mayo Sheriff, Wash
ington county. The Court declares the
legislation of the General Assembly
against Mr. Renfroe and his sureties
unconstitutional,and upholds the action
of the chancellor in granting the or
der restraining the sheriff from enforc
ing the executions against the lands
of Mr. Renfroe and of his sureties, on
both of his official bonds.
The judgment concludes as follows:
“We cannot see that the chancellor er
red in granting that restraining order.
It maybe that the treasurer and sureties
are liable to respond to the State for
the money made by the use of public
funds. It may be that on proper plead
ings, by answer, or answer in the na
ture of cross-bills to these bills of com
plainants, recovery may be had by the
State for such sums as may have been
received by the treasurer and his sure
ties on account of interest which he
made by the use of public money. On
these questions we decide nothing. All
that we do decide is that on neither of
these bodds can these executions sum
marily make the money which is there
in specified, and that until the whole
case can be be fully and fairly heard
in open court, the chancellor was right
to grant the ad interim injunction.”
The Constitution, editorially,comments
as follows: “We publish in full the
decision of the Supreme Court in the
Renfroe case. It will be found of interest
to all who have kept up with this cel
ebrated case. This decision settles the
fact that the resolution passed by the
Legislature was void, and that it was
class legislation of the poorest sort. The
truth is, the resolution was the result
of passion on the part of members of
the Legislature, and ought not to have
been past at all. Captain Harry Jack
son, who was Mr. Renfroe’s attorney,
and who has had almost the entire
management of the case, has displayed
great ability, as well as zeal, in the in
terest of his client. His triumph in this
case shows that he is entitled to a
high place among the lawyers of the
State.”
The Piedmont Aik-Line Headlight,
for February, is as interesting as ever.
It is one of the best journals of its kind
in the United States, and well repres
ents the enterprise and growing pros
perity of the important railway of
which it is the organ.
In addition to well selected miscel
laneous reading matter, its columns
are devoted to the illustration and de
scription of the country through which
the road passes, and for the develop
ment of which the management of the
Air-Line is constantly and most suc
cessfully exerting itself. For these ef
forts to secure the material prosperity
of the grand tenitory tributary to the
road,the managers deserve the gratitude
and esteem of every citizen. A growing
tide of immigration is pouring into the
"Piedmont Belt.” This number of The
Headlight contains an approximate re
port of the immigrants, by name, who
have settled along the line during the
past twelve months, and which, though
necessarily imperfect, runs the number
of incomers into the thousands. Here
after monthly bulletins of immigrants
arriving at each station, will be pub
lished.
No road in the South is laboring as
zealously and as effectively for the pro
motion of immigration than the Air-
Line, and the result is evident. The
road is highly prosperous, is doing an
immense business, and is one of the
' most popular passenger routes in the
country. Its officers are capable and
circumspect men, and the policy of
the managers is based upon patriotic
wisdom, and on long approved business
principles.
Help Wanted.—The Cane Creek
Academy, at Cog Hill, McMinn coun
ty, Tennessee, with furniture, library,
etc., was totally destroyed by fire Jan
uary 24th. No insurance. A Baptist
congregation, Elder Denton, pastor,
worshipped in the Academy building,
and are, consequently, without a house.
The Trustees of the Academy have re
solved to rebuild. It is to be a brick
edifice, and to be situated on a fine lot.
We have received a circular from the
President of the college, J. H. Bruner,
requesting us to call attention to this
fact, and to appeal to a generous pub
lic for aid.
The community is composed mainly
of small farmers and mechanics—a
people poorly able to sustain their la
mentable loss, but resolute in trying to
educate their children. They deserve
the sympathy and assistance of a gen
erous public the friends of education
everywhere.
Contributions of materials, cash, and
books, may be sent through .Capt.
John A. Turley, Pres. Board of Trus
tees, Dr. A. Slack, Sec., or W. A. Patty,
chairman of the building committee —
all at Cog Hill post office, Tenn.
Their express office is Athens.
Rev. J. J. Brantly, D.D., has been
secured as pastor by Bethlehem church
at Warthen.
CITY VERSUS COUNTRY.
The New York Sun comments upon
a feature developed by the census of
1880, which is worthy of grave reflec
tion. The political economist, and the
moralist, will find food for reflection in
the suggestive figures given. There are
245 cities in the United States which
contain ten thousand inhabitants and
over, and there population in 1880 was
11,100,201.
In 1870 we had 184 cities' with a
population of ten thousand and over,
and their aggregate population was
7,672,233. These cities have therefore
increased in number 61 within ten
years, and they contain 3,427,968 more
inhabitants.
Our total gain in population since
1870 has been 11,594,188, and nearly
a third of this increase has been in the
cities. If we included all the municip
alities, those of between eight and ten
thousand inhabitants as well as those
of greater size, we should probably
find that our total urban population in
1880 was over eleven and a half millions,
and toward three and three quarter
millions more than in 1870. This would
make the increase in the cities fully
one-third of the whole increase of pop
ulation in the Union.
The cities contained about 8,000,000
inhabitants in 1870, to 11,500,000 in
1880. They therefore have been in
creasing in inhabitants far more rapid
ly than the rest of the country. While
the general gain has been only about
twenty-five per cent, that in the cities
has been about forty-five per cent.
And this growth of the cities at the
expense of the country generally has
been becoming more marked during
the whole of the last fifty years. In
1830 our total urban population was
only about one-sixteenth of the whole.
In 1850 it had grown to one-eighth. In
1870 it was one-fifth ; and in 1880 out
of about forty-five millions of inhab
itants more than elevenand a half mil
ions lived in the cities.
If the cities go on increasing during
the next ten years in the same ratio
which the last ten years have shown,
and the country, as a whole, advances
in population at the same rate, we shall
have more than sixteen millions in the
cities, to about forty-eight or forty-nine
millions in the rest of the country.
A like tendency to build up the
towns at the expense of the country
appears in the figures we are obtaining
of the German census taken last year.
It is a modern tendency, and shall we
not call it a modern evil, likely to have
calamitous consequences?
New York seems determined that
Cincinnati shall not have all the glory
attaching to musical festivals on a
mammoth scale, and hence great at
tention is to be bestowed on the musi
cal festival which is to be given during
the first week in May next, in the new
armory of the New York Seventh Regi
ment. The festival will comprise four
evening and three day performances,
and provision will be made for ten
thousand seats, including 150 private
boxes seating four and five persons
each. The festival is to be under the
leadership of Dr. Leopold Damrosch,
and the will consist of
1,200 select voices, including the cho
rus of the Oratorio Society, is now hold
ing two rehearsals each week in sec
tions. Among the choral works selec
ted are the Dettingen “Te Deum,” by
Handel, Rubinstein’s “Tower of Babel,”
and Berlioz’s “Grand Requiem.” The
orchestra will share very largely in the
work to be done, and will comprise
over two hundred and fifty instru
ments. Besides the grand festival
chorus of 1,200 singers, arrangements
have just now been completed for an
additional interesting feature of the
festival in the formation of another
choral force, to consist of 1,000 young
ladies and 700 boys, (the latter recruit
ed from church choirs), who will sing
several shorter but interesting choral
compositions at some of the afternoon
concerts.
At the invitation of Friendship
church, Campbell county, brethren J.
H. Hall, P. N. Rhodes, and G. W. Col
quitt met with their pastor, W. A. Lane
on Saturday, Feb. 19th, to examine
brother R. C. Rhodes with reference
to his qualifications for the ministry.
Brother Hall preached the sermon
from I. Tim. 6 : 12 : “Lay hold on eter
nal life.”
Upon examination brother Rhodes
gave satisfactory evidence of his call to
the ministry and soundness in the
faith, and after prayer by brother T. N.
Rhodes, the charge was delivered by
the pastor, and the hand of fellowship
was extended by the church and pres
bytery, in recognition of the gift of the
candidate, and as an expression of their
love and confidence.
Brother Rhodes is a son of Rev. T.
N. Rhodes, who is well and favorably
kmown as a minister and educator.
He has accepted a call to Sardis
church, in Coweta county, and many
anxious hearts are hoping and praying
for his success in this important
work.
A writer in Scribner’s Monthly uses
the following strong language, which
will be sincerely indorsed by the wo
men who have suffered all over the
land: “Os the worst foes that women
have ever had to encounter liquor
stands at the head. The appetite for
strong drink in men has spoiled the
lives of more women—ruined more
hopes for them, scattered more fortunes
for them, brought to them more shame,
sorrow and hardship—than any other
evil that lives. The country numbers
tens of thousands —nay, hundreds of
thousands of women who are widows
to-day, and sit in hopeless weeds be
cause their husbands have been slain
by strong drink.”
“Yes,” says the Agricultural World,
“there are hundreds of thousands of
homes scattered all over the land, in
which women lead lives of torture,
going through all the agonies of suffer
ing that lie between the extremes of
fear and despair, because those whom
they love, love liquor better than they
do the women they have sworn to love.
There are women by the thousands
who dread to hear at the door the step
that once filled them with pleasure;
that step has learned to reel under the
influence of the seductive poison.
There are women groaning with pain,
while we write these words, from bruises
and brutalities inflicted by husbands
made mad by drink. There can be no
exaggeration in any statement made in
regard to this matter, because no hu
man imagination can create anything
worse than truth, and no pen is capa
ble of portraying the truth. The sor
row of a wife with a drunken husband
or a mother with a drunken son, are as
near the realization of hell as can be
reached, in this world at least. The
shame, the indignation, the sorrow, the
sense of disgrace for herself and child
ren, the poverty —and not unfrequent
ly the beggary—the fear and the fact
of violence, the lingering life-long strug
gle and despair of countless women
with drunken husbands, are enough to
make all the women curse liquor, and
engage unitedly to expose it every
where as the worst enemy of the sex.
Organization of Bio Church.—
According to previous appointment, a
meeting was held on the 29 th of Jan
uary, 1881, at the above place for the
purpose of organizing a church. After
divine services conducted by Rev. I. H.
Goss, Rev. L. W. Stephens was called
to the chair and Wm. M. Clark reques
ted to act as Secretary. The presbytery
then proceded to call the roll of the
brethren and sisters present. After ex
amining their covenant and articles of
faith and finding them correct, pro
ceeded to organize them into a Baptist
church, by the brethren composing the
presbytery extending to them the right
hand of fellowship. Brother J. H. Me
Mullan offered prayer for the newly
constituted church. After the organi
zation, a prayer meeting was appointed
for the next morning at 10 o’clock. At
11 o’clock, after singing appropriate
hymns, dedication prayer was offered
by Rev. L. W. Stephens, and sermon
preached by Rev. J. H. McMullan, fol
lowed in appropriate remarks by Rev.
I. H. Goss. The first service after the
dedication was a collection for missions,
which resulted in a collection of $6.60.
Rev. L. W. Stephens is pastor of this
new church. Its post-office is Bio.
Time of meeting, 3rd Sabbath and Sat
urday before.
The Sunday School Convention of
the Stone Mountain Baptist Associa
tion will meet in the Central Baptist
church, corner Fair and West Peters
streets, in this city, April Ist, 2nd, and
3rd. The General Theme is :“Our Needs,
and How to Supply Them.” A number
of distinguished ministers and promin
ent Sunday-school workers will address
the body, and many subjects of great
interest will be discussed. The prog
ramme is a very interesting one, and
large congregations will be present
during the session.
Speeches in the Convention limited
to twenty minutes.
Each church and school in the
bounds of the Association is entitled to
two messengers, and one for each ad
ditional twenty-five members after the
first twenty-five. It is earnestly hoped
that churches and schools will send
up full delegations to this Convention.
Each school is requested to send up
full reports by March 25th to the Sec
retary—of the condition of the school;
number of officers, teachers and pu
pils (separating the items); average at
tendance ; contributions; conversions;
number of church-members engaged
in the Sunday-school; distance and
direction of church from county site.
Daniel F. Beatty, the celebrated or
gan builder, owing to large increase
of business, is about to add extensive
improvements to his foundry at Wash
ington, New Jersey. The sales of the
Beatty organ increase every month,
and with these additional improvments
he will be able to furnish his custom
ers at short notice. Last month 518
organs were shipped from the Beatty
factory, and at the present time sever-
I al hundred orders are booked ahead.
ESTABLISHED lßil.
GEORGIA NEWS.
—Columbus will soon have water-works.
—Atlanta has been made a port of entry
at last.
—Quite a number of bridges on Yellow
river have recently Been washed away.
—A little child in Coflee county recently
died of hydrophobia, produced by the bite of
a cat.
—The colored military battalion at Savan
nah, seven companies strong, celebrated
Lincoln's birthday on the 14th.
—There are indications of a revival of fruit
raising in Hancock. This business has
come into decided prominence in some sec
tions of the State. It is largelv remunera
tive.
—Clark’s factory, in DeKalb county, was
washed away recently. Cotton, cloth and
spools of thread were’ picked up for miles
down the river. The loss is reported to be
over $75,000.
—Mr. B. F. Williams, of Auraria, Lump
kin county, is making arrangements for a
telephone line forty miles long, which shall
surround the gold region of North Georgia,
and will connect Gainesville, Auraria, Dah
lonega and Dawsonville in one continuous
circuit.
—The Douglasville Star says : “The Chat
tahoochee has been so high that it has been
impossible to cross it at any of the ferries
except in abatteau. Some of our farmers,
who went to market before the rain, remain
ed on the other side of the river ten days be
fore they were able to recross it.”
—The Governor of North Carolina, and
the Governor of South Carolina, and the
Governor of Georgia, Maryland, Virginia
and Tennessee, have selected Senator Wade
Hampton to speak for the Southern portion
of the “Old Thirteen” at the Cowpens Cen
tennial. Governor Hampton has accepted
the appointment.
—Some one has been examining the law
with reference to the duties of the Justices
of the Peace, and the following is the result
of his investigation, which we give for the
benefit of all concerned: “The laws of
Georgia provide that Justices of the Peace
shall issue warrants for the arrest of all vio
lations of criminal laws, not merely when
somebody applies for a warrant, but when
ever they, the Justices, receive information
that the offences have been committed. It
is, therefore, the plain duty of a Justice of
the Peace to issue warrants for the arrest of
violators of the law whenever sufficient evi
dence of the violation is at hand.”
—Says the Atlanta Constitution: “The
policy of the Air-Line railroad in building
up and improving the section through which
it runs—a policy, by the way, that will fin
ally commend itself to all railroad managers
—is already making itself felt. The Air
line has recently received reports from its
station agents embodying a census of those
who have emigrated to the Piedmont region
during the past twelve months. The Head
light, published under the auspices of the
road, says that these reports are necessarily
incomplete, covering not more than one-half
coming in. It is estimated that duriug the
year 2 561 settlers have been added to the
population of the towns on the Air-Line—
-1,019 in Georgia; 1.017 in South Carolina,
and 525 in North Carolina. These settlers
have come from Switzerland, and new arri
vals of Swiss and Armenian immigrants are
expected in a few weeks. If the liberal poli
cy of the Air-Line—a policy that will add
thousands of dollars to the value of the road
in a few years—was imitated by other Geor
gia roads, the problem of immigration would
be solved without legislative intervention."
—The following is a list of the new post
office routes recently established in Georgia:
From Morgan to Ward Station, Southwest
ern Railroad; from Spring Place, via. Ramy’s
Store and Carter’s, to Talking Rock ; from
Hammond’s Mills, via. Ursnan s to Fouche’s
Mills; from Lamar to Sumterville; from
Ringgold to Crawfish Spring ; from Harlem
to Appling Court House; from Warsaw, via.
Mazeppa, to Alpharetta; irom Jonesboro to
Miller's Store; from Doraville to Oak Grove;
from Barnesville to Person’s Store; from
Auraria io Juno; from Tiften, via. John
Fletcher's. Sr., and A. E. Clements', to Wolf
Creek; from Lumber City, via. Sylvan
Home, to Clarke’s Bluff; from Dallas, via.
Embryville, to Draketown ; from Tugalo to
Big Smith’s; from Baxley's via. G. J. Hol
ton’s, to Daniel Lott’s Store; from Baxley to
Nicholl's; from Beding to Wrightsville;
from House Creek, via. Williams’ Mills, to
Wolf Creek ; from Greenesboro, via. Liberty,
Sunset View and Neary’s, to Sparta; from
Wrightsville, via. Snell’s Bridge over the
Ohoopee river, to Fortune; from Hawkins
ville to R- A. Bidgood’s; from Mount Ver
non to Gieger's Mills.
—Dr. Cary, Fish Commissioner of Georgia,
writes an interesting letter about the carp
fisheries in the State. One year ago last fall
he distributed seven hnndred carp through
Georgia, stocking about thirty ponds. Last
fall he stocked three hundred ponds in Geor
gia, scattered from Dahlonega to Savannah.
The interest in carp has increased enormous
ly just now. Every mail brings application
for fish, and Dr. Cary is satisfied that five
hundred ponds are being prepared, and will
be ready for carp next fall. If these can be
stocked there will be about one thousand
ponds in the State properly stocked with
carp, four hundred of which will be old
ponds. Dr. Cary will find 1,000 new ponds
ready for fish in the coming fall. To meet
this demand is important. The government
ponds at Washington were swept away in
the freshet of last week, and the carp scatter
ed, but the Baltimore government ponds
have a large supply. Dr. Cary thinks that
the carp put in Georgia ponds in 1879 will
spawn this spring, without doubt. If so, he
will be able to supply all Georgia demands.
He is going to establish State hatching ponds
during the present year, from which he will
get all the fish that can be needed.
—The Atlanta Post-Appeal pertinently
says: “The evils attending idleness, vaga
bondage and pauperism are of the most
alarming character. This is a matter that
has not received sufficient attention in Geor
gia. Our penal system and pauper system
are not calculated to utilize the convicts and
paupers to the best advantage. And there
is another class de erving the strict surveil
lance of the law. The State is overrun with
vagrants; our cities and towns are full of
them. They tramp all over the country
neighborhoods; they get their living by
begging, swindling, stealing, and occasional
ly commit blacker crimes. The devil finds
work for these idle hands, but it is not the
kind of work that will benefit the State.
“The labor of our vagrants and paupers
properly directed, would be worth a great
deal, and the employment of these classes
would keep them out of mischief. If they
are not willing to work for a living, the law
should compel them to work. The world
does not owe them a living, and they have
no right to it unless they give something in
return for it. The best thing that could be
done at present for all classes would be to
stringently enforce the statute against va
grancy, and make a clean sweep of tramps
and beggars. There is policy, philosophy
and mercy in such a course."